Lebanese consul welcomes possible lifting of OFW deployment ban

MANILA, Philippines - The honorary consul general of Lebanon to the Philippines on Friday welcomed the possible lifting of the deployment ban to the Mideast country by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“This is a positive step in the normalization and improvement of relations between Lebanon and the Philippines," said Consul Joseph Assad in a statement sent to the media.

He said this will “perk up" relations between the two countries because it will remove the “barrier" that has prevented thousands of Filipinos from working in Lebanon – which he said was a waste because his country is experiencing an “economic boom."

The government stopped sending Filipino workers to the Mideastern state in 2006 when violence between Hezbollah and Israeli forces escalated.

At that time, some 6,000 Filipino workers – many of them undocumented, were repatriated to the Philippines. Some 26,000 opted to stay out of fear of losing their jobs or because they were not allowed by their employers to leave.

However, Assad claimed that almost 43,861 Filipinos still entered Lebanon since August 2006.

He said that about 25,000 Filipino domestic helpers refused to be evacuated and are now working in restaurants and offices in Beirut as waitresses and secretaries – many of whom receive $600 to $800 or P28,000 to P29,000 salaries every month.

The consul said that the lifting of the ban will be a big help to the many undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Lebanon.

“The government’s proposal to lift the deployment ban to Lebanon will help undocumented Filipinos now working in Lebanon to be registered as Overseas Workers Welfare Administration members and … avail of the welfare and protection benefits as documented OFWs," he said.

With this, he said they might finally be given insurance, PhilHealth coverage, and benefits including burial assistance.

“It will [also] give Philippine Overseas Employment Administration a clear picture [of] how many OFWs are working in those areas to avoid speculation on the actual numbers of OFWs inside Iraq and Lebanon," he said.

The DOLE has said that it is in no rush to allow the re-entry of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) to Lebanon unless authorities could safeguard the welfare of OFWs.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said in a previous interview with GMANews.TV that they cannot decide on the matter until a decision has been finalized on the amendments they have proposed.

He said they have already sent out a draft of a memorandum of understanding to their counterparts in Lebanon as a condition for the redeployment of Filipino HSWs.

The DFA has also followed up this cooperation between the two countries, with Ambassador Gilberto Asuque calling on Lebanese Labor Minister Mohammad Fneish to discuss the matter.

“Ambassador Asuque presented copies of the Philippine proposal for a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Labor Cooperation between the Philippines and Lebanon with the Protocol on the Deployment of Filipino Household Service Workers," said the DFA.

The same proposal has been earlier submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants for consideration by the Lebanese government.
Aside from Lebanon, the Philippines stopped sending workers to Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, and Nigeria. - GMANews.TV

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